Before I realized it, hours soon turned into days. I used this time to recollect all lingering memories of what I could call a past life. It's possible the trauma was so severe that it bleeped out my previous life's name altogether. I couldn't remember it, like at all. It was like a section of my life was removed. All I could really remember now is that I am Samus Aran, an intergalactic and feared bounty hunter. Perhaps that might be for the better, too. Like I knew I had friends and family, but if I kept these memories lingering, it'd be problematic trying to shuffle two identities around. During this downtime, I came to fully accept that I'm Samus. The part of being a girl, on the other hand, is a different matter. Seriously, I used to be a guy. That much I knew.
But as the saying goes, it's no use crying over spilled milk. What's happened has happened, and it's going to stay that way. I can only accept this new life.
As my thoughts became more clear and less muddled, this time spent also allowed me to store most of Samus's memories away too. My mind was much clearer now. I could recall Samus's earlier life all the way up to her becoming a bounty hunter, and becoming infused with the X Parasites in Metroid Fusion and beyond, including Metroid Dread. I also knew there was an upcoming game, Metroid Prime Four, which was set to take place after all of the previous games combined. It would detail Samus's next adventure in full, and potentially paint Sylux as the primary antagonist. It's a shame I won't be able to experience that game myself.
Despite that, I now know all of Samus's upgrades and her gunship upgrades. I'll need to see what all had carried over before we were sent hurling into that wormhole. At least in the Prime series, at the very beginning, Samus would undergo function losses of her Power Suit, forcing you to reclaim them as one of her adventures unfolded. I don't think that'll be the case here. I'm more leaning on he side of it'll let me switch between all power-ups available that she has. I could freely switch between her Power Beam, Ice Beam, Nova Beam, Annihilation Beam, Plasma Beam, Varia Suit, Light Suit, etc. and so on. I just need to know which upgrades all came with us. I'll find that out in due time.
Prioritizing the safety of my own body was still currently number one. During my slumber inside the healing pod, my thoughts were interrupted one time, and by Adam no less. After around three of the six days have passed, Adam stated that most of the gunship's defensive mechanisms were back online. He immediately cloaked the gunship, reflecting us into the void. Unless one's tech was more powerful than this gunship, we wouldn't be detected by another ship's radar. Most weapon systems were also back online. Adam prioritized our defense systems above all else. Comms, and other interior structures would come next. He had also stated my Power Suit as now about 25% recharged. It would take another ten days or so to have it fully be functional again. So that's what, two weeks, give or take? Not half bad in my opinion. It's not like I couldn't use the Power Suit right now either. I could likely use Power Beam, or other its other primary functions. Just not the more powerful ones.
Still, time is relentless. The three remaining days passed by in a blink of an eye. I had my eyes remain closed during this time spent. I didn't let my thoughts wander either. Adam's confirmation that most systems were back up and running was the safety net I needed. I knew I could leave it in his capable hands, watching over the ship. Because of that, I was able to focus on my healing. I enjoyed a peaceful rest. All of the light cuts rapidly vanished, and all of the bruises went away. These injuries didn't exactly hurt, but you could definitely feel it if you press on it.
Pssshhh...
The automatic locks disengaged from the healing pod, and the liquid drained back into the bottom of the pod. It likely has its own recycling system built in place too, which is really neat. Being brought into a sci-fi world really does have its perks. You get to experience all sorts quality of life upgrades that you couldn't do so otherwise. Once the liquid gel-like substance was completely gone, I felt a chill run down my back. Bouncy bounce.
I immediately looked down once the glass opened before me. Once I stepped out onto the hard cold floor, I saw two large marshmallows appear in my view. Right...
Seeing this, I sighed again. As much as I wanted to have some "fun" exploring this new body of mine, I knew I couldn't. Now was definitely not the time to do so. Once I know exactly where I am and how to proceed, securing a base of operations and such, would I even consider such matters. Yet it seemed I didn't need to go to the bathroom right away. I knew I was stuck inside that pod for six days, so I might have received one f those urges to do so. To my surprise, it never came. Perhaps that too was part of the pod's recycling capabilities? If it was, that's awesome. I might get addicted going into deep sleep pods at this point...
Shaking that thought aside, I couldn't lounge around naked inside my gunship forever, even though I probably could. After all, this is my ship. Not someone else's. I could do whatever the hell I want and not give a damn. But that was not an attitude I wanted to have right now. Making sure my body was in tip-top shape again, I sighed in relief. Seriously, this skin is so peachy and clean. Not a single blemish to be found anywhere. All the injuries were healed, and I felt completely energized, like I could take on the world. Or galaxy, in this case? Haha!
I had no other business in the Med Bay for now, so I wandered back to my Personal Quarters in the center of the gunship. I found a pretty expansive wardrobe, to my surprise. I guess Samus wasn't all about the Power Suit, huh? She had quite the variety of outfits to choose from in terms of clothing. It was all separated and neatly piled, making it easy to choose. I just stuck with the same pink-colored panties, and put them on first. I opted to not put on a bra for now. I knew how those things worked, but I didn't want to stress myself over putting one on right now. I'd leave that as a task for later.
I saw a somewhat baggy teal sweatshirt without a hood, and went for it. Opening it up before me, it was pretty plain, but it had the Federation mark on it. A bright star swirling around by blue and white swirls, like it was one of the myriad stars inside a galaxy. Simple, clean, and something I'd wear in my previous life. I saw some pretty loose dark blue sweatpants, and put them on. I also found a scrunchie to keep this long hair in check. Samus's hair was quite long, and she often kept it into a single ponytail. I went barefoot for now, but my new image was now as if I had just returned from the gym. Comfortable clothes.
"Phew...", I uttered. "I'm feeling pretty good right now. Six days should have passed, right? Hell, I'm not even hungry yet. That recovery pod really works wonders.", I continued.
[Correct. Your body was supplemented with its required nutrients during your recovery period. It is good to see you live and well, Samus.] Adam said, snapping me back into reality.
"To be honest, I'd go for a meal right about now, but you probably have some statuses to report, right, Adam?", I asked, proceeding to do some stretching. I wasn't going to go to the Engineering Bay to retrieve my Power Suit. I'll continue to let that charge. I was in no rush to retrieve it.
[I do. You should come to the cockpit. I can give you an overview of everything there.] Adam suggested. I guess I'll continue calling Adam a "he". He was modeled after the real Adam, after all.
I nodded, and closed my drawers. As I passed by each chamber, I was getting a home-y feeling, like how you'd walk through your own home. I know this gunship isn't exactly a house, but it was beginning to feel like one. And with all of these existing memories, I knew where everything was. That did ruin a sense of adventure of finding where things were inside this ship. But on the bright side, it allowed me to calm my feelings down, and focus on other tasks. With that in mind, I made my way back to the cockpit after hearing a couple of doors hiss and close shut.
To my surprise, what was waiting for me wasn't a blinking console. I saw a full, integrated face of Adam Malkovich, digitized into a hologram waiting for me. I raised my eyes seeing this face before me. It matched every detail perfectly.
[You really aren't the Samus I know.] Adam said, starting the conversation off with the bang.
"Took you long enough to realize. And you call yourself an AI?", I retorted, crossing my legs over each other as I took my seat.
[I have no comment to respond to that. You don't appear to be suffering any neural interference. I also did a scan of your body as you recovered, and you are in peak condition now. No abnormalities detected. I am afraid to say that this is outside of my computational experience.] Adam said, shaking his head in response.
"That's what I like to hear. We can leave the rest for later. I know everything that has happened to me, so it'll be up to you whether or not to believe it. Instead, give me a status report. How's the ship?"
[Very well. I will give you the latest report. All primary systems are back online. Blaster shield and cloaking is engaged. We are obscured from sight. Primary defense weapons are online. Advance weaponry such as the gunship artillery are still offline. Every chamber has been repaired, and is running in acceptable condition. Power Suit charging rate has increased. It should only take another three days to restore it back to full capacity. You shouldn't have any troubles using the gunship facilities. The latching system is also online, and we can dock anywhere you wish to. The core engines are currently running, and we can engage in FTL. I have already started to chart our available courses, and map out nearby star systems. We are no longer in the dark.] Adam said, giving me a full rundown without any pauses.
I just stayed silent, allowing Adam to tell me everything that happened during these six days.
Adam sure is a busy bee, isn't he? But it sounds like I'm no longer in a destroyed wreck of a ship. I smiled hearing all of this reported to me.
"Excellent. You're already starting to map out our surroundings too. I have no issues at hand, so you can continue to do that. The better grasp we have of where we are, the better.", I responded with a nod. "And so, have you determined our current position?"
[We are currently in an area called the Outer Rim. It is not listed in any maps I have documented currently in my databanks. We are in uncharted territory, Samus.] Adam said, causing me to come to a sudden halt.
Hearing that, it was as if time seemed to have slowed during that moment.
"W-What did you just say, Adam? Did I hear that right? Did you just call this space the Outer Rim?", I asked, gulping.
[Indeed. You did not hear me wrong.]
"...", I replied, not finding any words upon hearing that. I could only suck in a cold breath of air, letting this situation dawn on me. We didn't just end up crossing galaxies. We crossed the entire fucking multiverse. 'How did we end up in Star Wars!?', I inwardly cried in my thoughts.